Season 10 is all about ch-ch-ch-changes. Call it the new-and-improved “Idol.” I’m happy to see some new faces, especially when they’re none other than Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.

Don’t get me wrong, I will miss Simon, but it was time for him to move on to bigger and better things, otherwise known as “X-Factor.”

As for DioGuardia, let me use a line from Tyler’s band, Aerosmith: “let her go, let her go, let her go, let her go. ...” And that’s just what the show did.

I’ll miss Elllen DeGeneres, too, but “Idol,” was not meant for her, either. I’d go even as far as to say that Ellen was too nice for “AI.”

Since there is obviously no Paula Abdul and now no Simon, Tyler and Lopez are just what the show needed to reinvent itself. This will make Randy Jackson have to step up, or else he could face replacement come Season 11.

The revamped version of TV’s greatest talent show is under way. One thing that is clear: Tyler, Lopez and Jackson seem more like a judging collaboration than bickering ego-trippers like DioGuardia and Cowell tended to be.

There seems to be a better chemistry, which is just what the producers hoped for with Tyler and Lopez. Nothing could have been worse than trying to find someone to replace Cowel’s scowl.

Other changes come from the mentoring side. Geffen A&M Records is in charge and will reward record contracts to the winner (or selected finalists). This is awesome.?Who better to know the current trends and styles than someone who foots the bill?

Also, the semifinals will be different. Of the reported 325 contestants, only 60 will move on to Las Vegas. There, the hopefuls will perform Beatles tunes, to which the judges will narrow down the field to 40, and then on to Hollywood. Once the top 40 are in Hollywood, the judges will make the final cuts to the top 20 before America gets to step in and name its top 10, or 12.

I like this idea, although I’m not so sure about the Beatles theme. I’m sort of done with “Idol” tackling the Lennon/McCartney songbook.

Another improvement:?the top 10 or 12 won’t be divided evenly by gender, which means they won’t eliminate a great girl to favor a weaker boy or vice versa.

If you got it, you got it, and if America likes you, you’ll make it.

I’m also happy to see the producers get a little more control of contestants who play instruments.

I liked the idea of seeing what a contestant can do, but after a while some of them began to hide behind a guitar or substitute instrumentation for a lack of vocal ability (Casey James is an example).

Time will tell if these changes keep the show on top. Until then, I don’t want to miss a thing.

David T. Farr is a Sturgis, Mich., Journal correspondent. E-mail him at farrboy@hotmail.com.